KANSAS CITY, Kan. – It sits on the edge of Wyandotte County's vast cornfields, the hub of a bustling retail development that includes a minor-league baseball stadium, a water park and a gleaming Major League Soccer field.

Kansas Speedway is a multimillion-dollar economic engine for a once-moribund region in the heart of America, and the 1.5-mile track also is viewed as a potential kickstarter for one of NASCAR's biggest names and a venerable team.

"It is such an important race for me," said Roush Fenway Racing's Carl Edwards, who grew up and still resides 140 miles east in Columbia, Mo. "To win here would be really special because it is so close to home. There are a lot of people in the grandstands and garage that if it weren't for them, I definitely wouldn't have this opportunity. For me, a win here would be a win for all those folks and validate or maybe pay them back for how much they have done for me. This place is really special for that reason."

A winning result here could have a similar impact for Roush Fenway Racing, which enters Saturday night's 5-Hour Energy 400 with its fortunes lagging and its future clouded by the uncertain contract status of drivers Edwards and Greg Biffle.

With Clint Bowyer re-signing at Michael Waltrip Racing, Roush's dual cornerstones are the top impending free agents in the Sprint Cup Series, and it's been difficult to read the tea leaves as to whether they might return to Roush Fenway.

In a Tuesday interview on SiriusXM's NASCAR channel, Biffle said he's committed to staying with his No. 16 Ford but added "I've got options. I know I'm going to be racing somewhere," and indicated that recent restructuring by primary sponsor 3M has extended the negotiations.

Edwards consistently declines comment on his negotiations, but the No. 99 Fusion driver said Friday the team's mood was optimistic – particularly after a pair of encouraging practice sessions and Biffle and Edwards qualifying in the top 10.

"The deal is that we have to be better and everyone knows it from top to bottom," he said. "I would like to speak of it outside of the context of contract negotiations. We were pretty deep in the desperation portion of mood after (the March 23 race at Fontana, Calif.). It was bad.

"There is a lot of hope right now because we have tested a bunch and worked on a bunch of things. We need to keep doing that and seeing positive things. If we continue on that path, we will have a shot at the championship and that is all we can do."

The 1.5-mile tracks such as Kansas are a key to improving performance and keeping drivers and sponsors happy. Roush has struggled on these ovals, which make up half of the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup.

"The pressure's been on our whole company," Biffle told SiriusXM's NASCAR channel. "Carl's had a few good runs, but nothing that shows fast from start to finish. We haven't been as fast as we want to be. We're testing our butts off, working hard at the shop. (Team owner) Jack (Roush) has put pressure on the engineers to figure out where we're missing it, because the Penske cars are really fast.

"There's just a lot of things that we're working hard on getting better. Kansas will be a really good test for us. That's going to show how much have we narrowed the gap to our competition – or have we?"

PHOTOS: Greg Biffle's NASCAR career

Greg Biffle, born Dec. 23, 1969 in Vancouver, Wash., began his NASCAR career in 1996 and became a full time Cup driver in 2003. (Photo: Rob Grabowski, USA TODAY Sports)

Greg Biffle hugs his daughter Emma after winning the Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway. The win, his sole victory of 2013, helped Biffle secure a place in the Chase. (Photo: Randy Sartin, USA TODAY Sports)

Greg Biffle celebrates in victory lane after winning The Cup race at Dover International Speedway on June 1, 2008. Biffle also won the previous week at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. (Photo: Mark J. Rebilas, USA TODAY Sports)

Greg Biffle celebrates after winning the Nationwide Series Pepsi 300 in 2001, the first of his 20 career Nationwide Series wins. Biffle claimed the 2002 Nationwide Series title. (Photo: Mark Humphrey, AP)

Greg Biffle celebrates winning the goracing.com 200 at Michigan Speedway in 1999, one of 16 career wins in the truck series. He started racing the series in 1998 and won the championship in 2000. (Photo: Carlos Osorio, AP)

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The first Sprint Cup night race in Kansas' 13-year history will feature another unknown – a right-side tire that Goodyear elected to bring after a compound tested last month didn't pass muster.

There have been complaints of an "edginess" to the tire since Kansas was repaved in 2012, leading to caution-plagued events in the past two fall races.

After more than three hours of practice and qualifying Friday, drivers seemed satisfied with this year's tire despite hair-raising, record-breaking speeds.

"The racing is going to be really tough," Edwards said. "If the line moves around, you will have to be very aggressive, and there will be a lot of opportunity for mistakes because speeds are so high that guys will get loose, and that could be a big problem.

"That is the fastest I have ever gone through the corner here. I don't know how they make a tire that even holds up. Whatever they are doing is working."

Richard Childress Racing's Ryan Newman also approved of the tire but said the track's groove would need to widen to produce a decent race Saturday.

"There have been a lot of question marks with respect to tires and durability; (Goodyear) have, at least at this point, made a good decision on the tire."

PHOTOS: Carl Edwards through the years

Carl Edwards, born Aug. 15, 1979 in Columbia, Mo., has been racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series since 2004. (Photo: Andrew Weber, USA TODAY Sports)

Carl Edwards, left, talks with CPL James Hill during a training event with members of the Fort Worth police department S.W.A.T. team on March 21, 2012 in Fort Worth. (Photo: Tom Pennington, Getty Images for Texas Motor Spe)

In the closest championship race in NASCAR Cup history, Carl Edwards, right, finished second to Tony Stewart, left, in the 2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup. Stewart won the title on a tiebreaker. (Photo: Chuck Burton, AP)

Carl Edwards performs his trademark backflip after winning the Kobalt Tools 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on Nov. 14, 2010. Edwards also won the 2010 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway the following week. (Photo: Michael McNamara, The Arizona Republic)

In one of the most memorable crashes in recent NASCAR history, Carl Edwards flips and sails into the catch fence at Talladega Superspeedway while racing Brad Keselowski for the win on April 26, 2009. (Photo: John David Mercer, USA TODAY Sports)

After climbing from his mangled car, Carl Edwards gets a standing ovation from the crowd as he runs across the finish line during the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 26, 2009. (Photo: Jerry Markland, Getty Images for NASCAR)